As episode No. 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter 16″ opens, the fighters are finding their way into the “TUF” house. Show sponsor Harley-Davidson has a motorcycle in the house to remind the fighters of one of the nice bonus prizes available to them. Team Carwin’s James Chaney, who says he sleeps on a mattress in his friend’s garage, is just happy to have a real bed and free groceries.

Matt Secor and Julian Lane have a little beef over the latter’s pink hair color. Meanwhile Canadians Michael Hill and Mike Ricci bond as the only two Canadians on the show. A little red wine and conversation flow, and the pair discusses their strategy for dealing with their housemates.

Next, it’s off to the gym, and coach Shane Carwin admits he was a bit nervous to become a coach on the show because he feels a real commitment to helping his fighters improve and win. Team Carwin’s Sam Alvey says the coaching is spot on, and James agrees that it’s a high-level approach to fighting.

Meanwhile, Roy Nelson admits the coaching slot is an unexpected “wrinkle in my sheets.” His first order of business is to rule out two-a-day practices, which comes as a surprise to Dom Waters. Colton Smith and Julian both express a little frustration, as well. Everyone seems to feel practices just aren’t intense enough. Cardio, weightlifting, sparring – it all seems to be missing in the early going. Roy seems to believe he’s taking the correct approach, but the team doesn’t seem to be buying in right now.

After a commercial break, it’s time for fight selection. Roy has the right to pick the first fight, and he takes Team Carwin’s Neil Magny, who is celebrating his birthday, against his squad’s Cameron Diffley. Magny calls it a “birthday present.” Roy think it’s a solid choice based on Neil’s entry fight, but Shane believes it was a bad call from Roy and that Cameron is in trouble.

Back at the house, Julian disagrees with the fight selection. He also continues to beef with Matt, and the tension is quickly heightening. The pair’s beds are right next to each other, and Julian seems to believe there will be some issues as the season wears on.

Team Carwin’s Bristol Marunde is coaching Neil on his approach to the fight. He has history with Cameron, and he believes Neil can throw him off his game and take advantage of his emotional nature. Bristol, who admitted in the first episode he was thrilled to not be selected by “Big Country,” also continues to bash on Roy’s physique and training efforts.

As Neil preps for his fight, he reveals he’s a former Army combatives veteran who doesn’t do much in life other than train and focus on his fighting career. His coaches prep him to stay at distance and keep the pace high while avoiding Cameron’s jiu-jitsu prowess.

Back at the house, Julian is busy setting up the season’s first prank, as he places a bucket of flour over the front door. The team views it as a bit of a team-building exercise, and they all take positions in the front room to watch their opponents come home. It’s a direct hit on Mike, and Julian and fellow “bash brother” Colton admire their handy work. Mike doesn’t seem especially entertained, but Team Nelson revels in the hilarity.

Now it’s time for a closer look at Cameron’s preparation. He’s lived in Las Vegas since he was 8 years old. He details his history as a jiu-jitsu teacher, which he did long before his embarked on a fighting path. Colton is working with him to simulate what Neil will present in the cage. Roy says the focus is on simply avoiding the standup department while working to bring the fight to the floor and putting Cameron in his comfort zone as a grappling expert. It’s shaping up to be a true style vs. style affair.

CAMERON DIFFLEY (3-0) VS. NEIL MAGNY (7-1)

Round 1 – Interestingly, Shane is not in the corner for the fight. He believes the team he’s assembled is better suited for that role. Referee Steve Mazzagatti gets the action underway. Neil starts in the center and pumps his jab as Cameron circles on the outside. Cameron looks for the takedown, but he’s not seeing any openings in the early going. When he does push in, Neil pushes him down and refuses to engage on the floor. Roy calls repeatedly for a jab-takedown combo from his fighter, and Cameron does get inside. However, Neil is prepared and pulls easily away. Cameron finally pulls the action to the floor with two minutes remaining, and he goes quickly from an armbar attempt to a kneebar. Roy yells for Cameron to sweep to top, but he instead focuses on the ankle. There are a few tense moments, but Neil survives. However, Cameron does pull up to top position, where he continues to work in the final minute. Neil survives underneath, but the close of the round was all Cameron.

Round 2 – Neil returns to his jab to open the second round. He lands a few crisp punches but allows Cameron to tie him up and pull the action to the floor again. Cameron looks to the leg, but Neil is able to pull away and return to the feet. Neil keeps his distance and strikes from the outside as Cameron’s team calls for him to get close and look for the takedown. Cameron returns fire from the center as he searches for an opening. With 90 seconds left, Cameron shoots in but winds up on the bottom. Cameron tries to sweep and nearly scores it, but Neil digs deep and pushes his opponent to his back before backing away and resetting on the feet. Neil continue to link combinations together as time winds down, and it’s clear he’s taken the second frame. The first was tight, and it appears a third round is at least a possibility. However, judges decide it’s not needed.

As UFC President Dana White recounts the action, Roy believes the issue was Cameron not getting to top position quick enough in the first round to make a case for stealing the frame. Dana thinks Roy “blew it” when it came to picking the fight.

The moods in the locker room are obviously vastly different. Shane is completely pumped, while Roy stresses to his team that listening to his advice is a key focus moving forward. It’s Team Carwin 1, Team Nelson 0.

Catch new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson” every Friday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on FX. MMAjunkie.com recaps each episode of the reality series, and full series coverage can be found on The Ultimate Fighter 16 page.

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